Hammerhead sharks are not to be messed with. They are as powerful a predator as any found in the sea. And they aren’t small. A research mission by Arizona State University and University of Miami researchers in the Bahamas last month proved that.
A 14-foot hammerhead was photographed as scientists were tagging the shark. Looking at the fish next to the 36-foot boat, it appears to be almost as big as the vessel.
“Gives you perspective on how big a 14-foot hammerhead is,” researcher James Sulikowski of Arizona State’s Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab told McClatchy News. “Her hammer-shaped head was over three feet across.”
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Sulikowski said the shark dragged the boat and its equipment some 1,000 feet through the water. Hammerheads can get even bigger than this one: they’ll grow to up to 20 feet and weigh 1,000 pounds. The Arizona State team is searching for shark nursery grounds.
The photos were taken by Tanya Houppermans of Blue Elements Imaging. You can see more above and on her Instagram page, here.
